Unconditionally
by MsTenshiLady
Summary: Tenten didn't think she could love someone as much as she loves Neji, but if it means saving his life, she is willing to go to any length. Even if that requires her to sacrifice her love, happiness, and freedom. Alternate Post-War scenario.
1. Heartbeats

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters. If I did, then this alternate scenario would be canon. **_

_**A/n-April 4**__**th**__**, 2014: Hi there! So I had this idea swimming around in my head for more than a year now, but I wasn't sure how to really go about it. But because my imagination is a bottomless pit, I got even more and more ideas as to how to finish it. I'm excited to finally get a start on it, and I hope that you guys love it too. Now to direct you, this starts off right at the end of 614 and jumps to 616 and some minor details were changed because Neji is going to live in this one. And yes the dialogue at the beginning is straight out of the manga. But enough of my rambling! I present to you "Unconditionally"! **_

_**Main pairing is NejiTen and a bit of a love triangle later. Minor pairings are NaruHina and ShikaTema, and (maybe) SasuSaku (depends on the demand for it). Enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 1: Heartbeats**_

* * *

There were too many.

They couldn't dodge them all. Everywhere he could see countless shinobi were losing their lives to the wooden splinters. Even he couldn't spin fast enough to evade them all. Looking up, there was an oncoming torrent of the spikes. Naruto hurled a Rasenshuriken at the onslaught. He managed to destroy many, but more rained down. There was no way to escape them. They wouldn't be able to make it out of this alive if it continued like this. They had already lost more than half of their man power over the course of a few minutes.

But nothing they tried seemed to work. Even the Vacuum Palm from several Hyuuga could not stop it. And they were coming at such a rate that even their reflexes couldn't save them.

Neji glanced over his shoulder. Splinters were flying straight at Naruto, who was trying to regain his breath. There'd be no way to stop it. There wasn't enough time. He looked on in horror as he realized that his cousin was about to use herself as a human shield. Before he had had time to even think about it, he ran and hurled himself in the way of the splinters.

Time seemed to freeze for him as the spikes pierced through his body. Pain shot through his body as time restarted again.

What happened next, he didn't know. There was a lot of blood. His blood. He felt himself lean against something; he could see that it was Naruto. Behind him was Hinata. Tears were flowing unchecked from her eyes. His senses were beginning to fail him and that's when he realized that this was it for him. He was going to die here and now, on the battlefield, in Naruto's arms. Unless…

"Medical team!" Naruto's voice sounded so far away. Neji guessed that the life was beginning to leave him. His conscience was beginning to fade.

"No…I'm…already…" he said barely above a whisper. It pained him to even speak or breathe.

"Neji…niisan…" he heard Hinata whimper.

He knew that he was at death's door, but he couldn't pass without imparting a few final words, "…Naruto…Hinata-sama…is willing to die…for you…that's why…your life…is not only one…apparently…my life…was one of yours.

He heard Hinata let out a sob. His vision began to blur, but he could see the rivers of tears.

"You're Hyuuga's…why…why here!?" Naruto's voice broke in several places.

Neji managed to smile, as painful as it was, it would all be over in a matter of seconds. He thought back to the chuunin exams, back when he was an embittered person, putting down everyone else for fighting fate when he had been doing the same thing. Naruto had saved him from that path. Perhaps this was his way of showing gratitude. He'd never thought that there'd be anyway to repay him. Now perhaps there was.

"…why are you willing…to throw your life away for me…!?" Naruto's voice sounded strangled as he tried his best not to cry.

Neji's breathing began to slow. This was it, "Because…you told me…that I'm a genius." His words mirrored Naruto's from that day.

'_Father…I finally understood…your feelings…' _

His consciousness was now blurring and he closed his eyes. He He'd expected that his curse seal had already disappeared. Finally, his eyes closed, and he expected to see the white light. But all he saw was darkness…

The barrage of splinters had stopped suddenly. Everyone was out of breath. Rock Lee was having a hard time as was Maito Gai. Dodging those things had been an impossible feat. The fact that they were still alive was almost a miracle.

Tenten wasn't too far from them. She'd regained her breath. She looked around, trying to reassure that everyone had made it out okay. Everyone seemed to be there. But…where was Neji? Was he okay? She looked around; he wasn't anywhere to be found. She panicked internally, fearing the worst. No, he had to be all right.

But everyone else seemed to stop at that point. They were all looking at something. Tenten looked in the direction everyone else was looking in. She saw Naruto and Hinata, she sighed in relief. At least they were okay. But wait, what was that in Naruto's arms? It was a person. Tenten had to squint to see.

Her heart stopped.

"Neji's…dead?" she could hear some yell.

No, no, no.

That couldn't be Neji. Hyuuga Neji couldn't be dead. He of all people had to be okay, there was no way that he was dead.

Except, all evidence pointed to just that.

Her muscles froze as shock hit her at full force. Everything suddenly seemed so far away. She could hear Hinata speaking, but she felt dazed. Her eyes glued to Neji. He just lay there limp. Every nerve ending in her body told her run to him but her feet stayed firmly planted.

Tears were threatening to form in her eyes, but she refused to allow them to fall. This was war, people were expected to die. Even the best of shinobi went down in war. But that didn't prevent a lone tear from escaping her eyes.

'_Not Neji…not him.' _

* * *

It still didn't seem real. Even as Lee clutched Neji's body, tears streaming down endlessly.

"NEJIIIIIIII!" he wailed, hugging the body close to him.

"Lee…" was all Tenten could muster up to say. What could she say? Her heart had shattered into millions of pieces. It was beating like broken glass against her chest, piercing her every breath, making it hard to breathe. The fact of the matter remained that no matter how much she wanted to believe the contrary, Neji was dead. Never again would he wake up, smile his wry smile, or scold their teammates for their ridiculous antics. She had to turn away from the sad, grotesque sight.

Lee continued to sob despite of Gai's warnings not to. Pressing one hand against his fallen teammate's neck, he pulled him closer. The sobbing would not cease.

That was until…

_Thump, thump, thump… _

Lee's eyes shot wide open. His fingers were pressed firmly against Neji's pulse. They were faint, but there was no doubt.

_Thump, thump, thump… _

Lee stared down at Neji, mouth agape and eyes wide open. The tears had ceased.

"His heart is beating," he murmured. He pressed his fingers even harder against the pulse. Yes, there was no doubt. Those were heartbeats.

Tenten whirled around at Lee's words. She was sure that she had heard incorrectly.

"Lee now isn't the time to…" Gai whispered soothingly.

Lee was still gaping at Neji's "corpse". Any sensible person would have thought that Lee had imagined the whole thing, but no, Neji's heart was still beating. He was alive, he was really alive!

"No sensei! He is alive!" the previous tears of grief turned to those of joy.

Tenten clutched her chest as Lee spoke those words. No, how could that be? The splinters had run him through completely, hitting vital areas of his body. His curse seal had also not returned. No, she couldn't get her hopes up. Lee must've imagined it. Neji's wounds were too severe to have survived it.

"No! Sakura, come! See for yourself!" Lee called to the pink haired kunoichi, who was standing not too far from them. She, as everyone else around, looked unsure. But Lee's eyes were pleading. She sighed, finding it hard to resist Lee's request.

Everyone got out of the way as Sakura passed through. She frowned at the sight of the body. Like everyone else around, she was aware of the severity of Neji's wounds. Not even a superhuman could survive being impaled in such a way.

She knelt and pressed her head against Neji's chest, mindful of the splinters. They had just barely missed his heart. Her eyes narrowed as she heard something indeed. She had expected to confirm everyone's belief that Lee was too caught up in his grief to truly believe that he had lost a comrade.

_Thump, thump, thump… _

Sakura heard herself gasp as the almost inaudible heartbeats reached her ears. How in the world…? She lifted herself up and looked at Lee with widened eyes, before nodding her head slowly.

The buzz of chatter erupted around Tenten. But she was barely listening. Watching Sakura confirm what she had so hoped for, made the pieces of her heart come back together again. Finally the tears rolled down her cheeks, aloof of anyone who might be watching.

She wanted to kneel down and touch him, reassure herself that this was real, and not just some cruel genjutsu. But she kept her feet firmly planted where she was.

"We need to get him away from here!" Sakura called to the other medics. "I'm not sure how much can be done right now, but we must act quickly. He may still be alive, but his injuries are near-fatal. We may really lose him."

Tenten felt something rising up from her stomach, slowly burning up her insides. No, no. Neji would have to live! He couldn't die, not now or like this.

Lee looked unwilling to let his friend go, but Tenten was even more reluctant. No longer being able to stay frozen where she stood, she knelt down next to them. The world around her seemed to disappear and the only thing there was Neji. She reached out and touched his face. Her fingers then slipped down to his neck to where his pulse was and there she felt faint little thumps. And it all felt real to her.

"He's alive…" she whispered, her eyes widening as she finally drew in a breath. She leaned in close enough to whisper in his ear, her tears dripping onto his unconscious face, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Never again I promise…"

* * *

It didn't matter how exhausted or injured she was, because the first thing she did when she reached the gates was run towards the hospital. Her body was close to giving out, but she paid it no mind. All she cared for was getting to her destination. To Neji.

But when she arrived at the hospital, she almost wished she had headed home. She walked through the halls and floors of the hospital until she got to the right room. She was about to walk in when, but the grave voice of one of the medics stopped her…

"There's been extensive damage to his internal organs. The splinters barely missed his heart, but they impaled parts of his stomach and lungs. It's a miracle that the kid's still alive. But I don't think he'll be able to live a normal functioning life after this. That is if he ever comes out of his coma, but I think the humane thing to do for him is pull the plug…"

Tenten barely registered the fact that the words that had been stuck in her throat had ripped out of her lips, coming out in the form of a "NO!"

The medics ceased all conversation to look at the shaken and battered young woman clutching the doorknob. She had the look of desperation across her face.

"I'm sorry, but…" one medic replied, unable to find the proper words to say.

Tenten found herself trembling, but nonetheless she found the courage to speak, "No, don't pull the plug."

The medics looked at each other and then back at Tenten, before one calmly answered, "Listen, even if he does live, it wouldn't be much of a life. His body has suffered too much damage. He'll be crippled, have problems breathing, and he'll definitely be unable to continue as a shinobi."

Tenten had completely blocked out the last part as she was now focused on Neji. "Can I please just…have a few more minutes with him? Please?"

"And you are? Who are you exactly?" the medic inquired.

"I'm his teammate," she whispered. "Please?"

The medics looked reluctant, but nodded their heads. They would not deny a comrade this. They knew. They'd all lost someone to the war.

Without another word, they exited the room, leaving only Tenten in the room. Her breathing remained uneven as she watched his barely alive form. His chest rose just slightly, indicating to her that he was still alive. But in such a condition…it only brought tears to her eyes.

The mighty Hyuuga Neji, the pride of the Hyuuga clan, was not supposed to be in such condition. It took all her courage and willpower to move her feet from where they were planted. And as she approached the bed, it suddenly felt as if several bricks had been dropped on her shoulders.

Neji was covered from head to toe in gauze and bandages. The majority of damage was done to his torso. Tenten couldn't even begin to imagine the kind of pain that he was in.

Her tired, sad eyes turned to the monitor. His heart was still going, but barely. He was barely just alive. And she found that her tears couldn't be contained. She sat down next to him and watched him for what seemed like hours. She didn't move. Had someone walked by the room, they could have mistaken her for a statue.

And someone indeed had been watching from outside.

Hinata had, with a heavy heart, walked to the hospital. The guilt was overwhelming, but part of her had been relieved that he had lived. But she couldn't find peace unless she saw him. She found his room, but the sullen face of a distraught Tenten stopped her from entering the room.

She didn't know if Tenten had noticed her, but she couldn't bring herself to walk in. The look in Tenten's eyes would be enough to keep anyone away. But only Hinata seemed to detect what it was…

'_You do love niisan after all, don't you…?' _

Tenten bowed her head so that anyone walking by or in couldn't see her tears. She cursed under her breath. She wiped the tears off of her cheek, and looked up at Neji.

He looked peaceful, but looks could be deceiving. He was in a coma after all.

"Why? Why would you do something like that? There had to have been some other way…" she whispered. She felt stupid for asking such a question. She knew why he did it and that there was nothing else that could have been done, but she just didn't understand anything right now.

"We lost so many people to this war…you can't go too. Think about Lee, think about Hinata…" she went on.

_Think about me…_

"Damn it Neji!" rage suddenly erupted from inside of her. "You're supposed to be the genius here! So how could you do something so stupid?! Didn't you even think of what would've happened if you'd died…imagine what you would've put Naruto and Hinata through! Do you even realize what you put Lee through when we thought you were dead?"

_Imagine what you would've put me through…_

"Neji you…" she choked out, but ultimately found herself unable to keep angry at him. How could she? He was Neji after all. Even in his arrogant genin days, she found it difficult to stay angry at him.

She didn't really know what it was back then. Why did she even bother to help someone who treated people so badly? Well, she always seemed to be the exception. He never looked or talked down to her. She never bothered asking why because at the end of the day, did it really matter? And when he returned home near death like he was now from that failed attempt to bring Sasuke back, she knew she couldn't deny how she felt about him. Sure she was only 14 at the time, but was there really an age to love? Of course there wasn't…

She grabbed his limp hand and bent over so that her face was right above his. Her tears cascaded down her face and onto his. He remained still as ever. And her heart remained heavy.

Then she leaned back a little so that her lips were right by his ear.

"Come back please? Your friends need you. Your family needs you. Our team needs you. I need you…" she sniffled.

_I love you…_

She couldn't bring herself to say it, even if her mind was screaming it.

Hinata just stood outside, watching the whole scene. Was it a wise idea to go in there and comfort her? She refrained from doing so. Tenten needed this more than anything else right now. Too many people had died in this war, including some of the people she cared the most for. And she had almost lost Neji as well. And judging from his condition, his chances of survival looked slim. She couldn't help but clutch her heart and continue to watch…

"You need to come back; you can't just die like this…please there's so much of life left for you to see," her heart break dripping into every word. And with that, she leaned over and gently rested her head on his chest, mindful of his injuries. She grabbed his cold hand and intertwined her fingers with his. Whatever control she had left broke, as she sobbed into his chest.

But her sobs didn't last for long. Her tears came to a halt when she felt Neji's previously limp fingers gently curl around hers…

* * *

_**Was it any good? I hope it was! I've just been biting my nails, trying to get this done. I had to change so much around in this first chapter just so it'd be as perfect as it could be. And yes, Neji survives in this version and if you like it enough and the general feedback is positive, I'll continue it and explain just how he survived. So, review? Please? Thank you! :* **_

―_**MsTenshiLady **_


	2. Never Again

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. **_

_**A/n-April 27**__**th**__**, 2014: Hey there! So I've decided that I'm going to be more flexible with my updates. I'll just update whenever I get a chapter done rather than have a schedule for it. Well I don't have too much else to say other than enjoy! All right, so here's my take on how Neji and Tenten met. **_

_**Chapter 2: Never Again**_

* * *

Had he regained consciousness? His fingers remained curled around hers, but he remained asleep. He didn't say a word either.

And so it continued like this every day, Tenten visiting the hospital hoping that he would just wake up. But he remained in his unconscious, vegetative state. And with each passing day, Tenten's faith in his awakening began to crumble.

So she just stopped going to the hospital, because no matter how many times she went, she'd lose just a little more hope. Maybe that way, her faith would be restored.

Training was getting lonely, so she joined Lee. Even then, it was as if no one else was there. There were only the two of them now. Lee was still reeling over the loss of their sensei, although he refused to show it. It was almost as if she'd lost him too. All day and night, he'd train and barely say a word to anyone. He'd swear that everything was fine and that Gai-sensei wouldn't have wanted him to cry.

But everyone had to break eventually. And Tenten was ready to. As strong as she'd tried to stay, she felt her strength abandoning her.

It was a no win situation. How could it be? Had he died, her faith would have diminished altogether and she wouldn't have to feel the rush of emotion that she did when she saw him lying still in the hospital. But now that he was alive, there was hope. But who knew when he would wake up? No one could give her a definitive answer.

"It could be months, years, maybe even decades before he wakes up…" had been said. Even Tsunade, the greatest of all medics couldn't do anything. It clawed at her insides.

Was there really no hope left for Neji? Tenten didn't want to believe it and she didn't. He had miraculously survived, despite of the odds being stacked against him.

There were still remaining traces of hope, and that's all she had to cling to. She tried to smile, knowing that nothing was certain yet. But she couldn't.

Neji had been such an integral part of her life. For as long as she had been in this village, Neji had been there. She really couldn't imagine what things would be like if he hadn't always been there…

* * *

_**-Flashback-**_

_6 year old Tenten had collapsed from sheer exhaustion onto the forest floor. Her tiny body couldn't take much more of the running. She had been running all night, never once stopping. Fear had made her adrenaline pump and it kept her going for as long as she could. She didn't know who would be coming for her, but she knew that she couldn't stick around to find out. But now, her body had given out. She looked up and saw the first rays of daylight streaming through the tree's canopy. The rays were warm against her face, and for a second she forgot about all of her troubles. But then the light was blocked by a silhouette that towered over her. Tenten's tired form didn't have much time to react, even if she had feared that they had found her… _

"_Who are you?" the silhouette asked. From the sound of the voice, it was a young boy. Tenten frowned and didn't answer. _

_The boy crouched down and Tenten was able to get a clear view of the boy. He had long, dark hair and pale skin to compliment his hair. His eyes were an unusual color, the color of pearls. Tenten had never seen or heard of such eyes. He had no facial expression whatsoever, except for his mouth which was a hard line, curved downwards. He seemed to be irritated. Tenten was no stranger to that look. _

"_Does it matter?" was her simple answer, gathering the small bits of strength she had lift to pick her body up. _

"_Whatever, I just thought you might need my assistance is all," he shrugged. _

_Tenten scowled, quickly becoming defensive. "I'm not a damsel in distress! I don't need your help." _

_The boy arched an eyebrow, "I didn't say you were. You were just lying there, so I thought I might offer you some help. But I guess you don't need my help." _

_Tenten's eyebrows came together. He hadn't been implying that she was weak because she was a girl? Then why? "So you don't think I'm just a weak girl?" _

_The boy shook his head and huffed, "Even if you were a boy I would've gone to help you. It really doesn't make much of a difference to me." _

_Tenten was taken a bit aback by the boy's answer. It didn't make a difference? If he hadn't been a complete stranger, she would have hugged him. All her life she had been told how inferior a woman was to a man. She had had it pounded into her head. Even then she never believed it. As far as she believed, there was really no difference between a boy and a girl. A girl could do whatever she wanted to if she tried. _

"_I'm Tenten," she said, finally answering the boy's question. _

"_Interesting name. I'm Neji," the boy answered, extending his hand out. Tenten stared at his hand for a second before extending her own and shaking his hand. Neji found this pretty amusing. _

"_Never shaken a hand before?" Neji laughed. _

_Tenten's cheeks flushed as she scowled, "O—of course I have!" _

"_If you say so," Neji shrugged. "Now why don't you get on home or something like that? I have training." _

"_Home?" Tenten said uncertainty coating her voice. _

_Neji immediately took note, "What? You don't have a home?" _

_Tenten thought for a second. Technically she did, but she couldn't consider it much of one. The farther away from that part of her life she was the better. Maybe she had a better chance at building a life here. _

"_I—I don't," she half-lied. _

_The boy stood in place, greatly resembling a stone statue. Tenten just found this boy interesting. The feelings were similar on Neji's end. Neither of them had ever seemed to have met another person like this before. That was coupled with a child's fascination. _

"_Hm, I suppose I could bring you back to Konoha," he offered. He waited a moment for her reaction. Her big brown eyes only seemed to grow bigger. _

"_K—Konoha?" she repeated. She'd only heard about it before. And it was in passing. _

"_You've never heard of it?" _

"_Of course I have…it's just…" Tenten trailed off. She really didn't know what to say. _

"_Well if you really have nowhere else to go, that's one place you can go…" he offered. He held out his hand. Tenten looked down at it. If she took it, there'd be no going back to her old life now. And maybe that wasn't such a bad thing…_

_She slowly reached out and grabbed his hand, forever closing the door on her past. Never again to open… _

As she remembered this she threw a kunai so hard into the target that it nearly cracked the trunk of the tree that it was on. She bit her lip as she saw the damage. Maybe that was enough for one day…

* * *

Visiting hours were almost up, but Tenten always stayed until they had to scream at her to get out. Even then, it took an effort for her to get herself to move.

She no longer cried at Neji's bedside. She'd exhausted her tears. And she no longer saw the point to her tears. He wasn't dead, and she kept the faith that he would come back. She examined him thoroughly once a day from head to toe. His eyes…had bandages over them. His curse seal had not returned, which meant only one thing. His eyes were utterly destroyed. Let alone using the Byakugan, he would no longer be able to see. That made her heart hurt more than anything.

His eyes were the first thing that had drawn her to him in the first place. Those were the eyes that she had come to love and those eyes never judged her for anything.

But she refused to believe that there was no hope left for him. Everyone else seemed to have given up on him, but the only reason he was still plugged in and breathing was because Tenten would not allow it. Normally she wouldn't have had any say, but neither his clan nor close family members seemed to object to it, so she got her way.

"Tenten…" Tenten was snapped out of her thoughts by a gentle, maternal voice coming from behind her. She turned around to see that it was Tsunade. She looked a little worn out, but she still had a stone hard look on her face.

"Tsunade-sama, I'm sorry I didn't…" she mumbled.

"How long do you expect to just sit here Tenten? You have to move on with your life. Neji may never awake from his coma. His injuries were severe enough, and it should have killed him," Tsunade's words were harsh, and each struck a chord in her heart. But she refused to budge even for a second. "He wouldn't have wanted this for you…"

"He could still wake up, there's always a way," Tenten held on, her words escaping her mouth in nothing more than an inaudible whisper.

"You need to accept the situation as it is Tenten," she felt Tsunade's soothing hand rub her back. "I know more than anyone what you're going through…"

Tenten wanted to protest, but decided to stay quiet. Tsunade went on. "I've known for a long time that you love him. But I can't watch you waste away at his bed side. No one wants to watch that for you. And especially not Neji."

"Tsunade-sama, I need some time alone with him, please just a few more minutes," she whispered. Tenten assumed that she had left because she heard nothing after a few minutes. But she didn't bother thinking anything more about it.

She leaned over and looked down at Neji. No tears or anything. But the look in her eyes could tell anyone anything about how she felt. She whispered, "I do know a way to save you. Never again was the promise I made when I left my old home, but you don't know about that. But they are the only way that you can be saved. Maybe it's selfish of me, but I can't let you die. There's a reason that you're still here Neji, and I'm not going to let you die."

"I haven't been completely honest to you about certain things. But I'm willing to sacrifice our friendship for your life. Nothing matters to me more than you right now. Just please try to stay alive until I can come up with a way to save you…please."

It was true. She did have a solution and it had taken her a while to realize it. Okay not realize it, but come to terms with it. She hated the fact that the one place that she could turn to for help now was the one place she'd vowed never to return to. Her face contorted with disgust as she remembered the first six years of her life and how she had never been allowed to leave the confines of those walls. But she was no longer a six year old girl and she was not going to tolerate whatever they'd say to her when they saw her. She was stronger than that, stronger than them. They owed her big time for those six years and this was the only thing they could do for her now.

But would they do it? She looked down at Neji's near lifeless form; the feelings within her became even more desperate. They would have to…

She was not about to lose the person who was partially responsible for where she was now. She was not going to take "no" for an answer…

* * *

_**I'm sorry guys; I went into really bad depression after I posted the first chapter. And then to add to that, I got hit by one of Cupid's arrows for the second time in my life, but despite of all of that, I've gathered both the motivation and emotion to write these chapters. I'm rather pleased with the feedback from last chapter. Made me smile for a little bit. So this story will progress onward. And yes, I decided to add a NejiTen backstory. Just thought it was a nice touch. I promise you'll know what Tenten had been running from because it becomes important for the story. Well, as always, review please? :* **_

—_**MsTenshiLady**_


	3. Repressed Past

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. **_

_**A/n- May 29**__**th**__**, 2014: I'm probably in a load of trouble for not updating in about a month. So sorry! I was busy with finals and what not, but now that I'm on summer, I can try to update more frequently! All right, let's glimpse into Tenten's childhood now shall we? Okay! **_

_**Warning: Child abuse scenes (well I guess that depends on where you live and what you believe child abuse is) **_

_**Chapter 3: Repressed Past**_

* * *

With all of the stress that came post-war, Neji's hospital stay seemed to be the worst on everyone. But Tenten was feeling it much more than anyone else at that point. At dawn she would have to creep out of the village and onward to…her past life. Oh how she wished she could forget about that past. How she wished she couldn't remember. But maybe it came as a sort of twisted blessing. Her mouth twisted in disdain as she screeched into her pillow, letting out all of the anger and frustration. It wasn't even sadness anymore. She was just angry.

Those people responsible for her birth, the people she was forced to surround herself with, would have ruined her had she not run. She didn't care if she died when she ran away, anything was better than returning to that place again…

* * *

_Five year old Tenten was running around the pond, getting mud and water all over her new kimono. Being perfectly honest, she hated kimonos. She hated most things girly and she hated that her mother expected her to sit inside quietly with the rest of the girls. How could anyone live like that? Tenten, though she was still very young, believed that life was something that was meant to be enjoyed and experienced, not watched from a window. _

"_Tenten, good god child, what on earth do you think you are doing?" Tenten stopped running and turned to see her mother standing there, clearly horrified and scandalized by what her daughter had been doing. Tenten only frowned; she didn't think she was doing anything wrong. Well, maybe except soiling her new outfit of course. _

"_I was just…playing…" she answered, her cheeks flushing as she avoided meeting her mother's gaze. _

"_In the mud? Don't be ridiculous Tenten, girls shouldn't be playing in the mud! No one should be playing in the mud! Get out of there!" the woman ordered, just the little girl just shook her head. _

"_But I was having so much fun," she said, a slight whine in her voice. _

_The woman in front of her was very short on patience when it came to her daughter. Many times had she tried to turn her daughter into what she considered a "proper lady." Much like her sisters and cousins sitting inside, talking and learning how to manage the household, that's what she expected. But Tenten had always been a bit of a rebel, and that was just unacceptable. So what was her response to Tenten's disobedience? Slapping her square in the face. _

_Tenten grabbed her cheek, which was now red and stung more than anything. But she didn't cry like all the other girls did when they were slapped, she just frowned. _

"_Why can't I have fun, okaasan?" she questioned, her voice soft and low, only emphasizing how young and naïve she was. _

"_You can have fun, but not like this. Girls, especially in this family, do not play outside like a bunch of hooligans. Do you understand? I am tired of telling you this," the woman's mouth closed into a hard frown. She had virtually no compassion for her child. And Tenten found it a bit hypocritical even at her young age, since she was taught that a woman must always be compassionate and loving. But she was in no mood or position to argue. _

"_Yes, okaasan…" she whispered softly._

* * *

Tenten sighed as she pulled the covers off of her. She could have laughed at the memory now. She was nowhere near "lady like" at all. Her mother would have died of shame if she saw her now. She had more scars than anyone in her family had ever seen combined. But she took an enormous amount of pride in that. But her freedom had come with a price. In her childhood, she was not allowed to form too many bonds or attachments for fear of outside influences. Well, then again, that was only the girls. The boys had been allowed to do as they pleased. But after she'd run away and come to Konoha, outside bonds were all she had. Her team had become her family and when the rest of the Konoha 11 came alone, well, she'd come to have everything she'd ever wanted.

And then the war and of course Neji. And thinking of Neji, made her smile vanish. Before the war, thoughts of him did just the opposite. But it was now because of him all of these memories were making their way to the surface of her conscious mind. In a way she hated him for it, because these were the memories she hoped to never revisit, but at the same time she wouldn't have if her feelings for him hadn't been so much stronger.

'_I can't believe I'm actually going back there. I don't know what they'll do to me after all these years…' _

Well she didn't care much for what they'd do. She wasn't the little girl they could beat and torture into submission anymore. If they even tried, she could probably take them. They weren't shinobi…

* * *

"_Were you eavesdropping?" the low and booming voice of her father growled. Tenten sniffled and cautiously nodded her head. This was met with yet another slap to her face. Her face was already swollen and bruised from hours of denying that she'd heard anything. Of course knowing that she had been lying, she was met with a series of slaps and occasionally a punch. This slap was powerful enough to nearly knock her teeth out. Physically, her father was a rather strong man. She could fight back all she wanted, but it was always to no avail. Now she just took it, knowing it would be over soon. _

"_What did you hear?" he demanded, slapping the girl across the face again. Tenten hardly reacted, as her face had been injured so much that she had gone numb to any of the new hits. _

"_J—Just that they were from somewhere called K—Konoha…" she stammered a little bit. _

_He cursed under his breath. "Do you wish to get the same punishment as you did when you interrupted the last family meeting?" A cruel smile crept up on his lips as he saw the terror come into his daughter's eyes. _

"_N—no please don't, otousan…" she softly pleaded. Any person with even a fraction of a heart or a soul would have showed compassion and stopped. But her father had neither of those things… _

"_Then you will forget anything about what you heard. Whatever went on in there does not concern you until you are older, do you understand. You WILL forget what you heard, or the beatings will get worse…do you understand?" he demanded, grabbing the tiny girl's shoulders roughly. She almost screamed as her shoulders and body were still sore from the beating just days earlier. _

"_H—hai…" she whimpered. _

"_Good! But because of what you did, you will be locked in here for the night. You will have no dinner, perhaps then I will know that you've learned your lesson. I'll post guards at the door and window to ensure that you will not escape. And also to make sure that no little snitch is going to bring you food," he said. _

_Before long, Tenten was left by herself in the empty room. In a way it was a blessing to be locked in that room by herself. She didn't have to interact with the people she was forced to call her family. She looked to the moon outside. One day, she promised herself, she'd break free and get out of there. She would find her freedom, and she would find her purpose in this world. For if she was sure of one thing, it wasn't to serve a man like they had told her…_

* * *

She still had the scars from that beating and also from the one that haunted her to this day. But instead of crawl up inside herself and die, she chose to use it as her motivation to get stronger. So she would never have to take that from anyone else ever again…

As for those scars, she hid them well as most of them were located in areas of the body that weren't usually shown. She had several on her neck, which was a part of the reason why she chose to wear collared shirts. And then there was the magic of waterproof cover up. They easily hid the scars, so no one really knew of them. She didn't want questions being asked, especially after she'd denied having any family or attachment prior to coming to Konoha.

But there had been several occasions where someone nearly discovered her secret. It had always been Neji who had come close, and every time after the first few times, she felt like every time he "accidentally" came across one of the scars, it had been on purpose. It was enough for her to get annoyed, but not enough so that she couldn't cover up with some decent lying skills.

Still, there had been one time, that Neji had nearly broken her. Not by his fists or Byakugan, but through their close and intimate friendship. It wasn't like him to be gentle or compassionate, but…

* * *

_This particular training session had left both of them quite exhausted. Tenten more than Neji really, but still even Neji had to catch his breath after that. But even though she didn't have a Byakugan, she could feel Neji's gaze on her. She cursed as it was an unusually hot day, meaning that she had to come in a top that resembled the one from her genin days. Also Neji had managed to wipe away some of the cover up make up she had on. The scars of her childhood were basically staring him in the face. She could feel Neji's eyes widen and narrow at the sight. _

"_I know those are not battle scars…" he commented, walking closer to her. She got somewhat of a hold on her breathing as she looked up at Neji who was now in front of her. _

"_Yes they are, though some of them are from Lee and Gai sensei," she lied, thinking it sounded convincing enough. _

"_Liar," Neji mumbled, grabbing her arm to take a closer look at the marks that lined her upper arm. They were indeed from another human, but they weren't from punches or scratching. And…were those bite marks? _

"_Neji, ow! What the hell are you doing?" she growled as Neji held onto her arm and continued to look at her scars. _

"_Bite marks? I don't remember any of our foes in battle using their teeth," Neji let go of her arm and looked at her intently. It was more than clear to him that she was lying, and Tenten knew it. Still, she couldn't let him know where or how she'd gotten all of the scars. _

"_Clearly you've never sparred with Kiba, Akamaru can be a real…" she began but Neji shook his head, cutting Tenten off. _

"_Those are from human teeth. And I know that Kiba doesn't actually bite his opponent. So really Tenten, where did you get those? Has someone been…" he began, but Tenten shook her head. _

"_Look they're battle scars from over the years. I get so many that I can't even remember where or when I got 75% of them," she said, her voice giving off just how annoyed she truly was. _

_Neji sighed, and for a second Tenten thought he was going to let it go. But when he crouched so that their eyes met, Tenten could feel her breathing cease. She hated when Neji was this close to her. She had amazing self-control, but she didn't know how much of it would stay if he came any closer. And she meant that in many different ways. _

"_I've seen these scars on you for a long time now. Even in our academy days, these aren't from missions. Where did you get them? You know you can tell me anything," he assured her, resting his hands on her shoulders. _

_She bit her lip, thinking of what to say. She knew if she told Neji the truth, it wouldn't change much, but the trust that had developed between them would be damaged. But still, she had her own reasons for hiding the truth from him. _

_She looked down, "I—I don't really know…I guess I got them without really realizing it…" she muttered. _

_Neji sighed, she knew it was because he was running low on patience, but she felt his arms drop as he sat himself down next to her. "Okay I get it; you aren't comfortable sharing it with me. I won't force it out of you, but just know that when you are, you'll come to me all right? You really don't have anything to hide from me." _

_She sighed, "All right Neji. But I do have to wonder…why do you care so much? I mean Hinata I can understand, she's your cousin, but why me? I'm just a foundling from the forest." _

_Neji froze for a second before shrugging, "I guess it's because you're the first real friend I ever had. I don't know what it was about you, but you puzzled me a lot back then, and still do from time to time. Especially when you said you didn't have a home or anything like that. But I don't know, I can't tell if you were lying or if you don't want to remember…" _

'_A little bit of both…' she thought. _

"_But whatever it is, I hope one day you'll tell me…" he said. He then proceeded to wrapping one arm around her, pulling her closer to him. Even if they were just friends, they had small intimate moments like this that they wouldn't share with anyone. _

_So it wasn't so strange or surprising when she felt his lips connect with the side of her head. He did that quite often since they'd become genin. Even if he had the reputation as the human ice cube, Tenten knew that he could be just the opposite with her. Sometimes she felt that he was doing it to get the truth out of her, but that only proved that he cared all the more. _

_Maybe one day, even in the near future, she'd sit him down and tell him the whole truth. She owed that much to her best friend. The best friend, who she could safely admit, she was deeply in love with…_

* * *

Tenten splashed cold water onto her face as she looked out the window to see that the sky was turning a slight shade of light blue. The sun would be up shortly, and she had to be leaving soon…

Sneaking in through the window of the hospital was not a hard task. In fact out of everything else in life, this had to be one of the easiest. Before she left, she needed to see Neji. Seeing him would give her strength to carry out whatever she had to do. She was doing this for him, to have him back with all of them again.

She looked down at him, and it was obvious that his condition hadn't improved one bit. But he was still alive, and that alone was enough to give her the strength to carry on with what she had to do. She placed a hand on his cheek, and felt a lone tear slide down her own cheek. Even after visiting him so many times, the tears still fell. It was almost a pathetic.

"I'm going Neji, and when I come back, I promise you'll wake up and enjoy your life again. I promise, just please hang on a little while longer," she whispered.

"And if you think you're going alone, then you're crazy…" a familiar female voice said, making Tenten almost jump. She turned around to see a familiar bleach blonde leaning against Neji's hospital room's door. She had no smile or anything; the look on her face was purely serious.

"Ino what are you…" she questioned, but found herself unable to finish the sentence.

Ino frowned, "Well, Hinata and Sakura would've been here, but they have other obligations. I'm a little freer right now. But the three of us agree that we can't let you do whatever it is that you're doing all by yourself."

Tenten shook her head, "Ino, I can't let anyone else get tangled up with my business. It's messy."

"Too bad sister, I'm your friend. And it's clear as day how much you love Neji. If what you have for him isn't true love, then I don't know what it is. However, you can't do this without help. And I'm not going to let you. So either you let me come with you, or you go off on your own and risk the status of missing nin. It's your call, but you're not stopping me from coming."

"Ino, it's none of your business really…" Tenten groaned, still wondering why Ino was so intent on coming with her.

"It hurts to watch you like this. So please, let me come with you. Please, you'll need back up in case something happens," she insisted and Tenten sighed.

"Okay fine, just this once. Just meet me by the gate in 10 minutes all right?"

"I'll see you then," Ino gave a small smile and almost instantly disappeared. That was the weirdest thing that that girl had ever done, she thought. But then she looked back down at Neji. His face perpetually peaceful.

"I'll be back soon, just stay alive, please," she whispered. She then leaned over and placed her lips on his gently. She pulled back after a few seconds and the tears welled up in her eyes once again.

This was not how she pictured her first kiss...

* * *

_**-Wipes sweat from forehead- Okay that was it. I know I know, too many flashbacks, but it was necessary to show Tenten's growth since. And surprise, Ino is in this story! You'll see why…That was a little hard to write and I may have made her family slightly assholish. Well that's why she had to run away obviously. And she was a little girl when all of that happened, so the Tenten we know now would not just take that. Well anyway, I'm going to try and update more often! I apologize for the long wait, but I'm trying to take my time! Well I hope you enjoyed it, I tried! I'm sorry if any of the child abuse scenes made you uncomfortable. But be a dear and…review? Please? Thank you! :***_

—_**MsTenshiLady**_


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